deviated septum
7
6.6
- noun
- /ˈdiːvieɪtɪd ˈsɛptəm/
- Specialized
:
tabique desviado
- After years of struggling with a deviated septum, she finally decided to seek treatment for her breathing issues.
- get a deviated septum
Examples
-
3) I am having surgery to remove a bone spur and a cyst and to fix a deviated septum.
Blog text (4) -
Physical examination revealed a deviated septum to the right.
Academic text (1998) -
Now, I must inform you I have a severely deviated septum.
-
No, you can't; Mr. Johnson has just had surgery for a deviated septum.
Fiction book (1992) -
A deviated septum can also be treated with a closed septal osteotomy, which is a quick, simple, and easy way of straightening the bony part of the septum.
Academic text (2009) -
The doctor explained that I would need surgery to correct my deviated septum to improve my breathing.
-
He realized he had a deviated septum when he started experiencing difficulty breathing at night.
Synonyms
A bent wall inside the nose that makes breathing difficult on one side
How Severe
- Specialized
7
6.6
2
5.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward compositional adjective + noun: 'deviated' (moved away from a normal position) modifies 'septum' (a dividing partition), so the meaning 'a septum that has shifted to one side' is directly derivable from the parts. Although clinical in register, the construction follows normal English word-building and similar descriptions occur cross-linguistically, so a learner who knows both constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Deviated septum paints a simple picture: the thin wall between your nostrils, the septum, is pushed to one side so one nostril is smaller and breathing becomes harder. That's why it refers to a 'nose condition' that can cause 'breathing difficulty'.